Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 18 January 2023

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Health

General Scheme of the Health (Termination of Pregnancy Services (Safe Access Zones)) Bill 2022: Department of Health (Resumed)

Photo of Róisín ShortallRóisín Shortall (Dublin North West, Social Democrats) | Oireachtas source

Under head 6 in relation to harassment of healthcare providers, the witnesses said they were satisfied or their advice is that people are protected under existing law. I had a conversation with a Garda superintendent this week in the context of protestors outside refugee centres and the fact that is where people are living and whether there was a way of preventing that. The clear advice was that there is not, under existing law, just as gardaí do not have the power to stop people protesting outside politicians' homes. That is a very different view of the existing law from what the witnesses have been advised. They need to have a look at that again because it was said categorically to me. Clearly, if there were existing law that protected politicians there would not be the likes of what happened to Deputy Gino Kenny. The Garda would have dealt with it. That is a comparable situation.

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